She Didn't Show
by PrincessButtercup3
Summary: What if Sophie wasn't at the wedding? What happened to her and what will Charlie do?
1. Prologue

Charlie Wyman was not a man who was used to being afraid, but standing outside the offices of the New Yorker had him terrified. _She_ was in there…_Sophie_. They had met and gotten to know one another while helping Charlie's grandmother Claire find her long lost love of 50 years past, Lorenzo. Claire and Lorenzo had just gotten married, with Charlie walking his grandmother down the aisle, all the while looking around for Sophie, the one person he longed to see again, more than anything else in the world. When Claire had told him she sent the invitation to Sophie, he had anticipated she would attend. To his dismay, she never showed.

'She's engaged,' he kept mentally telling himself. But no matter what his common sense was telling him, he couldn't get the kiss they had shared one clear, starry night in Siena out of his head. He had long since realized his initial annoyance with Sophie had stemmed from an attraction he felt almost from the start. As he got to know her, the attraction had turned into more. Charlie had been a man of reason since he lost his parents at an early age. He didn't have time for the more frivolous emotions like love. And yet, when he thought of Sophie, love was the only way he could describe his tumultuous feelings.

"I'm so sorry Charlie, I really thought she would be here," Claire had told him after the wedding. "Me too Gran," he replied. 'At least I hoped she would,' he mentally added. "Charlie, there's only one Sophie. What are you still doing here?" "You said that before when she road off with Lorenzo's son. I went after her and saw her with her fiancé on the balcony of their hotel. She's engaged Gran, that has to be the end of it." "I saw the two of you that night in Siena," Claire admitted. "You looked at each other the way Lorenzo and I do since that night. And she was crying as she left that day after she had spoken with you. All you need to do is go after her and tell her what she means to you. Things will work out Charlie, I'm sure of it." "You're telling me to fly to another country to find the woman I love, tell her that I love her and hope she feels the same?" That was the first time Charlie had admitted his love for Sophie out loud. Claire smiled a bit at that fact, but didn't acknowledge it. She merely replied, "I did."

That one little reminder was all it had taken for Charlie to gather up his courage and go after Sophie. Now, standing outside the New Yorker, he was becoming more unsure of himself by the moment. Would she be happy to see him? Would she feel the same way about him? After a few wavering minutes of should he or shouldn't he, Charlie remembered Claire's words, steeled himself up and walked inside to find the woman he loved.


	2. The New Yorker

The elevator opened and Charlie emerged. He looked around for a moment before spotting a reception desk. As he got closer, the consistent chirp of the phone started to grate. "Excuse me, but can you tell me where I might find Sophie Hall?" All he got for his question was a finger in the air from the receptionist indicating he should wait a minute and she would get to him. It had taken a lot for him to go after Sophie and now that he had, he was impatient to see her. "If you can just point me in the general direction of her office, I can find it on my own," he tried.

"Ummm, I couldn't help but overhear that you were looking for Sophie," a woman's voice said from behind him. Charlie whipped around and came face to face with Sophie's friend and colleague Lorraine. "Yes, can you tell me where her office is? I need to talk to her about something important." "I can tell you where her office is, but you won't find her there. I'm Lorraine by the way, a friend of Sophie." "Do you know where she is then?" "I'm actually getting a little worried about her. She was due back from a trip a couple days ago, but nobody has heard from her. I was kind of hoping you might be able to give me some idea of where she is." "Where was she due back from?" "A wedding of a friend in Italy, somewhere outside Verona…Siena I think." 'She was going to the wedding?" Charlie thought to himself. "The wedding was for my grandmother Claire. I've actually just come from Siena to see Sophie. She never showed up at the wedding." "What? But she called me on her way to the airport, she was going there, I know it," Lorraine said with a hint of panic creeping into her voice. "I will find her," Charlie said with determination. With that he and Lorraine exchanged numbers and promised to call one another if they found Sophie or any info about her. Before the elevator door closed behind him, Lorraine called out "you might want to try Victor."

That parting comment had left Charlie feeling sick to his stomach. He didn't want to meet Sophie's fiancé. He just wanted to find her and tell her how he felt regardless of whether she felt the same way. But finding her fiancé might be the only way to find her. So Charlie did a little research and found Victor's restaurant. To his surprise, the man he had seen with Sophie on the balcony in Verona was rushing out the front door of the restaurant. "Excuse me…but," Charlie got no further as he was cut off by Victor. "I'm sorry, I don't have time to waste. Someone inside can help you." "You're Victor aren't you?" "Have we met?" "I've seen you from a distance, but no we've never actually met. My name is Charlie Wyman. My grandmother is Claire and Sophie was traveling with us through Italy. My grandmother thought Sophie would be attending the wedding last week, but she's been unable to contact her and we've gotten worried. Can you tell me where I might find her?" "Come with me," Victor said. "I'll explain on the way." With that Victor hailed a cab and the two of them set off.


End file.
